Saturday, August 29, 2009

We do! I kinda can't believe we've stuck with it this long, but yay for us! My gift to you (since birthdays are all about giving back)? What I know you all actually come here for...pictures of attractive people! You're welcome.

Friday, August 28, 2009

This post is all about two things most of you could care less about: San Diego and Little League Baseball. You see, some kids from Chula Vista (located in south San Diego) are in the US finals of the Little League World Series!!! If they win, they have a 50/50 chance of winning the whole damn thing!!! The LLWS is awesome for several reasons:

1. They are kids so they actually care and run out every play and don't take steroids (I'm looking at you, Manny Ramirez).

2. The LLWS actually is a World series. Whoever wins the US Finals (Chula Vista or Texas) will play the team that wins the International final (Taiwan or Mexico).

3. The Chula Vista team has a 6'0", 200+lb 13 year-old who pitches, plays first base and hits 3-run home runs in big games! Now that's an athlete!

All that to say, tune in Saturday to see if the kids from SoCal make it to the Championship game. Go Lake View!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Death has been working overtime this summer! Every day it feels like a new celebrity or person of note has been shuffled loose the mortal coil. It's probably crass to do a GitW style ranking of these deaths (e.g., Top 5: Deaths of ’09!) so instead I’ll catalogue the ones that have meant the most to my life, personally. Yeah, that’s much more respectful.

Most Shocking:Michael Jackson. It wasn’t even so much Jackson’s death that shocked me, but the reaction. People who’d I’d never heard mention him were suddenly talking about how he was their favorite artist of all time, the biggest influence on their life ever, etc. Even I found myself wanting to listen to Thriller for the first time in years. We all kind of gave him a pass on the last 15 years, which I wasn’t expecting.

Saddest: To me, John Hughes. Molly Ringwald wrote a nice piece about him in the New York Times that said he was kind of a Peter Pan like figure, but not in a creepy Michael Jackson kind of way. Maybe when you grow up, your heart really does die.

Most Bizarre: Last I heard, David Carradine’s death might have involved Taiwanese transvestites. Yikes, Grasshopper. Still loved him in Kill Bill though.

Most Important to my Mother:Farrah Fawcett. Mom still hasn’t forgiven Jacko for stealing Farrah’s thunder.

Most Important to my Father:Koko Taylor. My Dad’s a huge blues fan who plays this Alligator Records Christmas album every year, featuring such classics as “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’” and “One Parent Christmas.” Koko kicks the CD off with “Merry, Merry Christmas” and it always starts Dad talking about that one time he met her in the ‘70s. Or something. ... And now I have “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’” in my head. Great. It’s shockingly catchy.

Most Personal: I never actually met Frank McCourt, but having read Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis, I felt like I had. I was surprised at how sad I was when he died.

Most Influential: I’ve played the guitar for years, and while I never owned a Les Paul model, because I’m part of the proletariat, Les Paul himself pretty much invented the electric version of the instrument. I owe him many happy hours and many lost decibels of hearing.

Most Historic:Ted Kennedy. As I’ve said before, growing up in an Irish Catholic family in Massachusetts, the Kennedys were part of the fabric of my life. Teddy was flawed to say the least, but he was an icon who did a lot for Massachusetts and the rest of the country. It’s hard to imagine the world without him.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

That post Liz wrote yesterday was our 700th. On Saturday, this here weblog will turn 2 years old. We've had our ups and our downs, our fans and haters. We discussed possibly going dark on Saturday, but Liz and I aren't ready to let our baby go yet (Garney and Dave, I suspect, could really care less). We do need a change, though, and I thought, as per usual, I'd ask you to help us out. I'm doing a poll (not a real fancy poll though because that's too complex for little ol' me) to see what you'd like to read here at The Watchword. Some possibilities:

Screw the pop culture BS. Tell us more about your fascinating selves!

Leave things as they are, even if you post less frequently. Change is for poor people (ha! I'm so hilarious).

Let it go already.

Well, what do you think? Please tell us how to best please you in the comments. We live to serve.

Man, Churchill was so effing cool. And this picture is totally related to this post somehow. Shut-up.

So this woman I work with walked by my desk and asked me how it’s going. I was about to say, “Eh, not so good,” when I remembered a close relative of this woman’s passed away over the weekend. She was out of work Friday to go to the funeral. Suddenly I’m paralyzed: Do I tell her the truth - that it’s not going so hot - when obviously things are worse for her? Do I lie and say things are fine, which might also bring attention to how not fine things are for her?

After 3 seconds that felt like 30 minutes, I decided the truth would set me free and said, “I’ve been better, not feeling too well today.” She responded that she was the same, telling me about the funeral. I said I was sorry, and she actually sort of seemed relieved to have someone to commiserate with – someone for whom this seemingly flawless Southern California day was also not so great. But it got me wondering, what is the proper etiquette for that?

When you’re not doing so well, and someone whom you know is probably doing worse asks how you are, what’s the proper response? Today, you are my Emily Post.

Friday, August 21, 2009

5. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 - Yes, I know the 2 parts make one whole movie, but I way preferred this homage to Samurai movies over the David Carradine heavy, spaghetti western-esque Vol. 2.

4. Natural Born Killers - NBK brought together two of my favorite Hollywood filmmakers...Tarantino and Oliver Stone. QT is only responsible for the story here, but what a story it is.

3. Reservoir Dogs - Tarantino's first big thing, many people consider it his best work. While I totally enjoyed it, it's #3 on my list.

2. True Romance - Penned by QT and directed by Tony Scott, this is one of my all time favorites. Christian Slater totally peaked in 1993. Bonus points for a pre-SopranosJames Gandolfini.

1. Pulp Fiction - To say this movie changed my life could be an overstatement, but it's not. It sparked my love of film and Tarantino. I even drew a totally awesome rendition of the Jack Rabbit Slims scene and I don't draw!!! Absolutely in my top films of all time.

I'll be headed to the theater this weekend to see where InglouriousBasterds lands on the list. What about you?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The reality TV premieres continue tonight with the new season of Project Runway (I can't link you to the show's new webpage because it's on something called "My Lifetime" and work blocks such terribleness). I'm kinda "Meh" about it after all the legal battles and the move to Lifetime, but I'll be there, rooting for the less obnoxious contestants, hoping Tim Gunn has a fierce new catchphrase and dying to hear Michael Kors call someone's crotch "insane." Will you be there, too?

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The new season of the real Top Chef debuts tonight. This season Tom, Padma, Gail, that annoying Toby guy (really?) and the kids are in Vegas, baby, Vegas!!! I've truly enjoyed Top Chef Masters and I'm rooting for Hubert or Bayless. They're both so nice! But that's kind of the problem...everyone is so nice and respectful. Where's the drama and cattiness?! And most importantly, where's Colicchio?! Let's hope the new batch of cheftestants (yes, I hate myself for using that word) bring it tonight. As usual, I'm making picks without anything to back it up. I'm going with Michael Voltaggio (because he looks like a prick) or Mattin Noblia (jaunty scarf! jaunty scarf!) FTW. How about you?

Monday, August 17, 2009

Brad was on Real Time with Bill Maher this week to promote his new movie and his campaign to rebuild NOLA and his appearance totally sums up why everyone loves him. He's not the most eloquent guy you'll ever hear, but seriously...could anyone other than Brad proclaim himself an atheist and still be so well liked? I think not. Check out the interview in two parts:

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

True Blood is fast becoming my favorite show on TV. We'll see Sunday if the new season of Mad Men can reclaim the crown (seriously, you guys. Mad Men and True Blood back to back on Sunday nights?! The TV gods are too kind).

Lafayette: Why don't you just make me a vampire?Pam: We'd rather keep you around to sell V because we are the evil vampires.Lafayette: Whatever, hooker. You made me lose my pizazz!

See! So much fun. Apparently, the creator of these dolls plans on crafting new characters each week until the Season 2 finale. I can't wait to get Hoyt and Jessica.Jessica: Oh, Hoyt! You're so dreamy. Let's do it.Hoyt: Oh yeah! Afterward, can I read to you from my comic book?Jessica: Only if it's not sad because when I cry, I cry tears of blood and it's really gross.Hoyt: Deal*mmm kiss, kiss, kiss mmmmm*

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Recently, a friend of mine engaged me in The Gchat. The conversation went something like this:

Him: We never hang out anymore.Me: So let's hang out.Him: When?Me: Next week. We'll go to dinner.Him: You mean like a date?Me: Sure. I dunno...do you want it to be a date?Him: Hold on...

Then he called me (like, on the phone!) and said, "Red, do you want to go on a date next week?" And I said, "Sure."

Then he sent me a text the day before our (admittedly tentative) date and said he was stuck on travel for work. Fair enough, I thought. "Another time," I said. He never rescheduled. I wasn't really mad about it because we've been friends for awhile and going on a "date" would probably be weird anyway, but I still like to give him crap about it...especially while encouraging you all to go visit and read and comment on the blog he started. It's not as wonderful and hilarious as this blog, natch, but, you know, what else have you got going on today. Work? hahahahahahahaha.

So if you like debates about which band is better, Pearl Jam or Nirvana, and listening to people complain about Facebook, check out Brand New Nothing. Tell him he owes me dinner.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Apparently Bill Clinton took Kim Jong-il out for fried chicken and lap dances, and after a few hours in the champagne room, ol' Slick Willy got the little tyke to allow bygones to bygones. (At least that's how I assume it happened, I only read the headline).

So now Laura Ling and Euna Lee get to go home after only a few months hard labor, instead of the originally scheduled 12 years, which is to be expected when you visit North Korea anyway.